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You may not hear us saying this very often, but we are glad to see a Boulder-based research group take an active role in researching and discussing the impact of oil and gas activity in Greeley and Weld County.

We confirmed in a story last week that the University of Colorado’s Center of the American West and the city of Greeley will partner on a series of forums this year to discuss the energy industry in northeastern Colorado.

Some undoubtedly will raise their eyebrows — or perhaps even their weapons — at the thought of CU-Boulder coming into Greeley and Weld County to tell us about the oil and gas industry.

But we’re glad to see that Greeley’s leaders have taken the rather courageous approach to welcome the group.

So much of the debate about the energy industry and the way it’s reshaping our community exists on the fringes. One side espouses only the good things that come with oil and gas drilling while the other side focuses only on the bad.

We believe the Center of the American West, led by faculty director Patty Limerick, has a well-established track record of fact- and evidence-based research that fosters debate in the center, not on the fringes.

CU is one of nine institutions participating in a five-year, $12 million grant to maximize the benefits of natural gas and minimize its negative impacts. The Center of the American West is charged with public outreach, and we can’t think of a better place for such outreach than Greeley and Weld County.

The exact format and dates for the forums haven’t been established, but Limerick plans a process she has used before: “What we know, what we don’t know, what we hope to learn and what we choose not to fight about,” she said in an interview.

Mayor Tom Norton says he’ll be the first to criticize the group if he senses a bias, but we applaud Norton, the Greeley City Council and city staff for being open to the idea. The city established a goal this year of starting a community dialogue on oil and gas, and this is an excellent way to start.

The city last fall built an oil and gas web page where residents can look up drilling permit notices and use other resources to understand the drilling process. City leaders acknowledge the forums may very well open their eyes and they may tweak some of the city’s practices. And we would hope that others who are opposed to oil and gas drilling also approach the meetings with an open mind.

“There should be learning on all sides,” said Brad Mueller, Greeley’s director of community development.